carnage

noun

car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
Synonyms of carnagenext
1
: the flesh of slain animals or humans
… a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnage.T. B. Macaulay
2
: great and usually bloody slaughter or injury (as in battle)
the carnage of war

Examples of carnage in a Sentence

Reporters described the highway accident as a scene of carnage. the appalling carnage in that war-torn country requires that the outside world intervene
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 27-year-old suburban Philadelphia native remembers only hearing second-hand accounts of the carnage around him. CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025 The carnage, now known to be Australia's worst mass shooting in three decades, left 15 people dead and several others injured. Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025 What have Somalis received in return for this American carnage? Immigration Lawyer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025 Viewers end up cheering for the kind of carnage that, in a less confident movie, should be sending them out of the theater screaming. David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carnage

Word History

Etymology

French, from Medieval Latin carnaticum tribute consisting of animals or meat, from Latin carn-, caro — see carnal

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carnage was in 1614

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carnage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carnage. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

carnage

noun
car·​nage ˈkär-nij How to pronounce carnage (audio)
: great destruction of life (as in battle) : slaughter

More from Merriam-Webster on carnage

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